December 16, 2012 9:33 PM

After the Trail Blazers squandered a 16-point lead, rookie sensation Damian Lillard nailed a three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left in regulation sending the home crowd into a frenzy and leading to a one point Portland victory over the the New Orleans Hornets. LaMarcus Aldridge hurt his ankle in the final minutes of play and had to leave the court. Center J.J. Hickson had an outstanding game, scoring 24 points on 10-14 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Blazers. Next up for Portland is the Denver Nuggets on Thursday at the Rose Garden.

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1 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) and his teammates listen to Portland Trail Blazers power forward Jared Jeffries (1) give a pre-game talk on the court as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

3 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) attempts a shot past the defense of New Orleans Hornets small forward Al-Farouq Aminu (0) as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

4 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Ronnie Price (24) shoots over New Orleans Hornets point guard Brian Roberts (22) as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

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5 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) shoots over New Orleans Hornets power forward Anthony Davis (23) as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

6 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers center J.J. Hickson (21) reacts as a timeout is called as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

7 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) and New Orleans Hornets power forward Anthony Davis (23) fight for position as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

9 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) scoops up a loose ball as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

10 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers center J.J. Hickson (21) fights for a rebound as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

11 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - New Orleans Hornets head coach Monty Williams watches from the sideline as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

12 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) and New Orleans Hornets power forward Anthony Davis (23) battle as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

13 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) falls to the floor in pain as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

14 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) falls to the floor in pain as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

15 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) shoots what would be the game winning shot as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

16 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) watches as his 3-pointer falls to win the game as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

17 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) reacts after hitting the game winning shot as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

18 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) reacts after hitting the game winning shot as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

19 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) reacts after hitting the game winning shot as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

20 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) reacts after hitting the game winning shot as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

22 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Will Barton (5) has a few words for Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) after Lillard hit the game winning shot as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

23 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) and his teammates leave the floor after Lillard hit the game winning shot as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

24 of 24Link to this photo | Comments about this photo essayPORTLAND, OREGON - December 16, 2012 - Portland Trail Blazers center J.J. Hickson (21) is playfully carried from the floor by teammates as the Portland Trail Blazers face the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian